Cyclone Gabrielle: The Hits’ Jono and Ben’s golf cart drive to raise funds for cyclone relief

The Hits’ Jono Pryor and Ben Boyce have been driving a golf cart around Mt Smart Stadium since 6am yesterday - and they admit they’re “starting to lose their minds a little bit”.

The radio hosts have set out to travel 1600km, the equivalent of the length of New Zealand, around the stadium to raise funds for the Red Cross NZ Disaster Relief fund to help those affected by Cyclone Gabrielle.

They’re just over halfway there - and Boyce tells the Herald he’s feeling “a little bit delirious”.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jono and Ben (@jonoandben)

“But anything we are going through really pales in comparison to, you know, so many Kiwis and so many families right now.”

Pryor adds that the pair wanted to do something for the families that have been affected by the devastating weather event.

“We both have families, and you just see these poor people who have lost literally everything apart from the clothes that they had on their back ... and you’re just like, where do you start to rebuild? And it’s heartbreaking.”

Boyce adds, “And I guess we don’t have any practical skills, so this is something we can do - spend what we think is going to be 53 hours driving a golf cart around Mount Smart Stadium.”

The pair are sharing their journey online and encouraging fans to donate by texting “cyclone” to 3493.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jono and Ben (@jonoandben)

By 10am today, they’d covered just over 900km in 28 hours, averaging about 35km an hour - which is about as fast as the carts can go. There are a couple of golf carts on rotation, so one can stay on charge and they can swap them over when the other runs out.

The pair take turns driving, each getting a two-hour break during the day and a four-hour break overnight.

So, who’s the better driver? Boyce admits he’s “probably more aggressive” and proves it when the cart nearly tips over and plunges the Herald’s reporter and cameraman down the hill. “Oh, s*** ... we’re gonna go very slow now.”

The radio hosts hope to hit 1600km by 11am on Friday.

“I think we’re gonna do it. I feel confident that we’re gonna be able to do it,” Pryor says.

Boyce notes that amid the devastation following the cyclone, “there’s also been some lovely stories of people helping people out”.

“We spoke to a guy on the radio who’d been rescuing people throughout the night and helping out, and he’s like, ‘if you’ve got the ability to try and do something, try and do something’.

“We’re trying to use the radio show and everything we’ve got to raise as much money as we can.”

To donate to Jono & Ben’s Charity Drive, text “cyclone” to 3493. And to donate to the NZ Disaster Fund through the Herald, click here.

The fundraiser has hit $7 million so far and counting.